The Worst BYU Football Game EVER

Poor Taysom :(
From www.good4utah.com

Ok, maybe it's not really THAT bad, but on Friday night as it just got worse and worse and worse as I watched helplessly from the stands in LES, it sure seemed like it!

I don't really care that we lost to Utah State. I've thought it was a possibility since the season began, and I never believed we would go undefeated. It was never really a winnable game, since the BYU defense decided not to show up for some unknown reason. They had to beat us eventually, so whatever. That's not what still hurts. That's not what matters at all. What matters is that we've lost Taysom Hill to a broken leg, as well as several other key players for who-knows-how-long.

Heisman Campaign = Gone.

Special Season = Gone.

Word after this morning's practice is that Taysom's leg was even worse than originally expected. Every major ligament in his leg was "shredded." They had to put in 8 screws and a metal plate. Ouchie . . .

As far as I know, there's still no word on the other team members who were injured during the game: Alani Fua, Brayden Kearsley, Dallin Leavitt, Michael Alisa, and one other player who they said had a head injury, but now I can't remember who it was. Seriously, I've never seen so many injuries from one team in a single game before! No one from Utah State got injured, right? Kind of suspicious . . . They even took out a referee!

Really the only tiny silver lining I see coming out of Taysom's injury is that I think it greatly increases the odds that he will return to BYU for his senior year. He didn't injure his left knee again, thank goodness, so he should be back and good as new by spring. But the remainder of this season could be really painful.

Don't get me wrong-- Christian Stewart is a talented quarterback. He's got a really strong arm (probably stronger than Taysom's), but he needs to work on accuracy and taming the aggression just a tiny bit. He's capable of running, but definitely not running like Taysom. I'm excited for him to get the chance to lead the team as a senior, but I question whether he will be able to settle in and get used to the flow of the game fast enough to salvage the season. The timing almost couldn't be worse-- they've got a short turnaround to head out to Orlando to play UCF on Thursday, and then they've got to come back and play Nevada, a MWC team that has turned out to be much better than anyone expected, for Homecoming. And THEN they have to go play on the Smurf Turf at Boise State. That's a really tough 3-game stretch for an inexperienced QB. But Stewart is confident, and I hope he can at least pull out a 9-ish-win season.

Then again, after the deplorable defense on Friday night, maybe the QB isn't the problem at all . . .

We've probably lost the fair weather fans, but the loyal members of Cougar Nation are still pulling for you, boys! We've still got lots of football to play!

BYU Football 2013 Seniors

I don't wanna say goodbye . . . :(
From www.heraldextra.com

This Saturday is Senior Day, and 22 seniors on the BYU football team will say goodbye to LaVell Edwards Stadium. Unfortunately, not all of them will be able to play in the game. Spencer Hadley injured his MCL in the Wisconsin game, and JD Falslev broke his hand in a non-football related accident and sadly ended his college football career a few weeks ago. Junior Devin Mahina and Sophomore Ryker Mathews are also likely out for at least the Idaho State game with injuries. Sophomore wide receiver Mitch Mathews injured his shoulder during the Wisconsin game and will have season-ending surgery. Geez, seems like we're going to have a hard time putting a full team on the field! Then again, we could probably still easily beat ISU even if we only played second and third-stringers. But Notre Dame? That's a whole 'nother story.

Anyway, here's my tribute to some of the star seniors on the BYU football team this year:

Michael Alisa- Alisa may or may not be done at BYU. He was injured before the Utah State game, hasn't played since, and won't play for the rest of the season. However, he has a redshirt available and may be able to return next year. I hope he does! He deserves to go out on a high note instead of ending his last 2 seasons with injuries. 

JD Falslev- I'm really bummed that JD won't be able to play anymore. He's the kind of football player you could make a movie out of-- he started out as a walk-on and then clawed his way to the starting lineup and became a great running back and punt returner. I don't know why in the world he was at a water park in November, but it still sucks to suffer an injury like that, especially when it wasn't even football-related. You will be missed, JD! 

Kaneakua Friel- I hadn't even heard of Friel until the first game of last season, but it seems like I've been hearing his name a lot ever since. He also started at the bottom of the depth chart and worked his way up. I love it when they do that . . . :)

Spencer Hadley- When Hadley first got suspended, my opinion of him dropped way down. But then when I read this story, it shot way back up. It takes a lot of courage to own up to your mistakes and really work hard to fix them, which Spencer did. As said before, Hadley is out for the ISU game, but they're hoping to have him back in time for Notre Dame.

Mike Hague- I think Hague is one of the unsung heroes of the BYU football team. He's one of those few seniors who joined the team back in 2006-- 8 seasons ago. He has endured a lot of injuries, but he has made some significant contributions to the team this year. He is one of the main reasons we beat Houston, with 1 sack, 5 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and 1 tackle for loss.

Cody Hoffman-  I'm at a loss for words on losing Cody. It's really going to hurt. I think I might even miss him more than Kyle . . . yes, seriously. He now holds pretty much all the records at BYU he possibly can, and I think those records will last awhile. I have loved watching him play football at BYU, and I really hope he makes it into the NFL. Best receiver in BYU history? As much as I loved Austin Collie, I still think he's a traitor for leaving early for the NFL, so I'm gonna say yes, Cody's #1! 

Eathyn Manumaleuna- I've heard Eathyn is kind of like Ziggy Ansah-- quiet and reserved off the field, but a beast when he puts on those pads and helmet and lines up across from an opponent. Manumaleuna and KVN have really been the core of the defense this year. I think it's funny how a few of the Countdown to Kickoff commentators can't pronounce his name. Bryan Logan just calls him "Moneymoneymoney" because he's going to be making moneymoneymoney next year in the NFL!

Skyler Ridley- I don't know why it didn't connect with me until today that Skyler is a senior-- darn it! I like him a lot. He's been a great alternative target for Taysom when Cody was injured or not in. He made the game-winning catch at Houston and had 4 big catches at Utah State. It's going to be really hard to replace him, for sure.

Daniel Sorensen- Daniel was one of way too many concussion victims this season. Thankfully, he was back pretty quick. The highlights of his senior year so far have included an interception at Houston and 9 tackles and an INT against Utah State. He's a really nice guy, too-- I saw him at the basketball Cougar Tipoff, mingling with fans and taking pictures with the little kids in the line to get the basketball players autographs. Most BYU "celebrities" probably would have booked it out of there, but not Daniel.

Justin Sorensen- I'm really glad Justin was able to come back healthy this year and end his career on a successful note. His bizarre injuries, including a brown recluse spider bite (shudder!), fractured ankle, and back surgery (I feel for ya, brother!) have really, really hurt the kicking game, but this year, he's been solid. As a fellow back surgery survivor, I'm actually extremely impressed that he has been able to be as good as he has this year-- I'd surely wind up in the hospital in a heartbeat if I tried to do what he does. He's 15 of 18 on field goals so far this year, which is stellar compared to going 6 of 12 all of last season and 15 of 25 the year before. Good job, Justin. :)

Uani Unga- He's Harvey Unga's cousin. Need I say more? Football blood must run in that family! He had 17 tackles against Utah State and was the best defensive player overall against Boise State, with 15 tackles, one TFL, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble. Geez, I'm getting tired just thinking about all that . . .

Kyle Van Noy- Last, but not least, Mr. KVN himself. He leaves BYU with impressive stats in just about everything. If you haven't read the articles from the Deseret News excerpted from The System about how Kyle was recruited, how he almost ended his BYU career before it started, and how he has thrived on the team, I highly recommend that you do so. You'll laugh, you'll cry . . . Ok, maybe I'm the only one who did those things. haha.

The remaining seniors on the team include Tyler Beck, Adam Hogan, Austen Jorgensen, Scott Lefrandt, Blake Morgan, Kevin O'Mary, Jason Munns, Skye PoVey, Manaaki Vaitai, and Richard Wilson. Way to go, Cougars! You will all be missed. I'm excited to be there at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday to watch you play for the last time and take down the Bengals. Go Cougs!

BYU Football vs. Utah State Wrapup

Taysom's working that arm now!
From www.desnews.com.

So far, my predictions for the 2013 BYU football season have been radically wrong. In fact, the only game I've even correctly predicted the winner of was last week's matchup with Middle Tennessee State. While I'm obviously disappointed in the loss to Utah, I'm pleasantly surprised with the Utah State win. I guess we'll never know what would have happened if Chuckie Keeton hadn't left the game (and ultimately ended his season) at the end of the first quarter with a torn MCL and ACL. Poor guy. But overall, I saw improvement over the last 2 games, especially in Taysom Hill.

Taysom's pass efficiency rating shot up in the MTSU game (14 of 19 for 177 yards) and went up even more in the USU game (17 of 31 for 278 yards, his new career high). And the USU defense is definitely not one to laugh at, making it even more impressive. Now I've always been sympathetic toward Hill and have definitely NOT been one of his many critics this year. I don't know why some people have been laying 100% of the blame on his shoulders for the losses this season. It takes a lot more than a good quarterback to complete a pass-- it also takes a good call from the offensive coordinator, adequate protection from the offensive line, and a catch from a receiver, and in my opinion, all 3 of those positions have been really shaky this year. But thankfully, all of those people, plus Taysom, have seen improvement in the last 2 games, resulting in more completed passes and better ratings.

One thing I did predict correctly was the potential of Mitch Matthews. He finally ran into the spotlight in the USU game, catching 5 passes for 112 yards and 3 touchdowns. Considering he has never scored a touchdown at BYU before, that's amazing! I'm glad he's finally stepping it up.

I'm not quite sure what's happened to Cody Hoffman-- he just doesn't seem like himself this season. He was suspended for the MTSU game, and apparently there was a scare this week in practice, when they thought he might have broken his leg, but I guess it just turned out to be a bad bruise. He played pretty well in the Utah game, but in the USU game, he just didn't seem like Cody. Then again, he totally got robbed on the pass he almost caught in the endzone. Since when is it an interception when the ball gets ripped out of his hands after falling out of bounds? Worst call ever! It wasn't a TD, either, but they should have at least gotten another shot at it . . . Anyway, I hope he steps it up and comes back to be the Cody we all know and love in the second half of the season because right now, something's just not right.

I've also gotta give a shoutout to KVN for that awesome pick six, which happened only 10 seconds into the game. I think that gave BYU a huge shot of confidence that lasted throughout the entire game, especially since Taysom fumbled it and gave USU a TD on their first offensive drive. Kyle's TD made that a lot less painful. Way to go, KVN. You're my hero.

I'm not sure how the rest of the season is going to go, honestly. It could totally go either way. If they can keep up the momentum, they could win a lot more games. Or if they get more suspensions or injuries (the concussions for Jamaal Williams and Adam Hine were really scary, and unfortunately, Michael Alisa is now out for the season . . . I really hope no one else joins him), they could lose a lot more games and not even become bowl eligible. But if the trend continues with my predictions being the opposite of the truth, I guess that means we have a shot at beating Boise State, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame. But of course we've gotta start with Georgia Tech and the Homecoming game. Fingers crossed! Go Cougs!

Making New Friends at the BYU Cougar Fan Fest

Got to meet a few of my favorite Cougars tonight at the BYU Cougar Fan Fest. I dragged my mom along with me to be my photographer, but I think she had a good time, too. My favorite comment from her during the evening was, "Wow, they seem so lifelike!" haha. Love all these guys!

Ty Haws

Nate Austin

Cody Hoffman & Taysom Hill

Michael Alisa

Bronson Kaufusi

Bronco!

Took me a while to get the pads on, but Ziggy had the same problem, and now he's in the NFL!
So I'm considering trying out to be a walk-on next year . . . whatddaya think? :)

KVN & The Hoff Commit to Returning for their Senior Year

The last 2 weeks have been crazy busy, and I was stuck in a house with an internet connection that wouldn't have a chance against a drunk, elderly snail in a race, so I've gotten way behind. I've got like 5 posts in my queue to write, but this one just had to come first. Kyle & Cody are coming back!!! It's going to be a really tough 2013 BYU football season, but having them on the team will really help the Cougars have a fighting chance at a BCS bowl. Here's how the schedule currently stands:

Aug. 31 at Virginia

Sept. 7 Texas

Sept. 21 Utah

Oct. 4 at Utah State

Oct. 12 Georgia Tech

Oct. 19 at Houston

Oct. 26 Boise State

Nov. 9 at Wisconsin

Nov. 16 Middle Tennessee State

Nov. 23 at Notre Dame

Dec. 7 at Hawaii

They've still got 3 or 4  games to fill in, so it theoretically could get even tougher before the season actually starts.

The best part is that I can arguably take full (or at least partial) credit for the return of the Hoff & KVN because I know they read my blog post encouraging them to come back. haha. Twitter provides proof:

What exactly will the Cougars gain from KVN & Cody coming back? They both have chances to smash records and become some of the best Cougar football players of all time. Cody will likely break Austin Collie's receiving records, and having him on the 2013 team, as Dick Harmon puts it, is "like manna from heaven for the Cougar offense." Cody has caught a pass in 32 consecutive games and is already fifth on the BYU receiving yards leader board at 2,718. He's 4th in receptions with 203, 3rd in TDs at 28, but only needs 2 more to break Collie's record of 30. He also only needs 3 more games of 100+ receiving yards to break Collie's record of 11. I predict that during his senior season, Cody will become #1 on all of these record lists, and those records will last for a very long time after he's gone.

As for Kyle Van Noy, he has a really good shot at becoming the #1 defensive player all-time at BYU. He is the only player in the country to record a stat in every major defensive category in both 2011 and 2012. He is currently ranked #1 nationally (tied with 4 other players) in sacks. He is also tied for 2nd place in the country in forced fumbles, and is top-10 in tackles for loss and blocked kicks. Despite losing Ziggy Ansah and Brandon Ogletree, KVN returning will help the 2013 defense give the 2012 nationally-ranked and possibly best-ever BYU defense a run for its money.

I'm not quite sure yet how I feel about the demotion of Brandon Doman to QB Coach (if he decides to accept) and the return of Robert Anae as OC. Although I find it almost impossible to believe it will make the offense worse. I'm sure I'll write another post about that subject in the coming days. But all-in-all, when you combine KVN and Cody's return with the return of Taysom Hill, Jamaal Williams, Michael Alisa, and a few other stellar players, I predict 2013 to be a much brighter season than 2012. Go Cougars!!!

BYU Football vs. GA Tech: "Baby J" Needs a New Nickname

Jamaal Williams dragging GA Tech to their demise (from www.deepshadesofblue.com)

When I was 17, I was just trying to survive high school and hoping I didn't run my parents' car into a mailbox. But 17-year-old Jamaal Williams, referred to "affectionately" as "Baby J" by his teammates, is scoring 4 touchdowns in one game against a BCS team in the ACC. He doesn't even turn 18 until April 3, 2013! But Jamaal is definitely not a baby anymore.

Riley Nelson puts it all in perspective: "He was 11 years old when I started my first game as a freshman before my mission. Just think about that for a minute."

That's freaking crazy. I can't believe how mature he is, though. He's not even LDS, but decided to go to BYU because he likes the standards and didn't want to get distracted by things like partying and alcohol. Way to stand up for what you believe in! Have the missionaries made a visit to his dorm room yet? Haha.

When Michael Alisa went down with a broken arm in the Hawaii game, I thought we were doomed, especially with an already-struggling offense. But Jamaal Williams rose to the occasion and has really delivered in spectacular fashion. He's currently averaging 4.8 yards per carry rushing and 11.3 yards receiving and is quickly becoming Riley's go-to guy on the ground. He is going to bring very, very special things to BYU for the next 3 years. I predict he may even pass Harvey Unga as BYU's all-time leading rusher.

Of course, Jamaal wasn't the only one to shine in the Georgia Tech game. I had no idea until after the game was over that Tech has the 3rd ranked rushing offense in the country . . . somehow I missed that memo, but dang, our defense really stepped up, too. How many third-down conversions did Tech get? ZERO. How many TDs did our defense allow? ZERO. Of course the Cougar D has been stellar all year, but struggled in the last few games, so I'm glad they've come out of their rut. 

We've got a pretty "easy" (knock on wood) stretch of games coming for the remainder of the season, so I just hope we can win out, stay healthy, and continue to improve enough to win the bowl game. It definitely hasn't been the greatest season on record, but there's still a light at the end of the tunnel that it can end in a very positive way, in large part thanks to Baby J :)

BYU Tramples the Hawaii Warriors & Looks to Utah State

47 to 0 shutout. Nice work, boys. Too bad we can't take 4 of those points and add them to the Utah game, add 2 points to the Boise State game, and just for good measure, give ourselves a 40 point head start on Utah State. Then we'd still beat Hawaii by 1 . . . and a win is a win, right? :) Oh well.

That Hawaii game was really a bloodbath. Seven minutes into the game, we'd already sent two Hawaii players to the hospital on stretchers, Michael Alisa broke his arm (and is probably out for the rest of the season, dagnabbit!), and somehow I sprained my ankle. Not sure how it happened since I was just a spectator minding my own business up in the stands, but somehow I'm inclined to blame Ziggy Ansah. haha.

Once again, I'm very impressed with the defense. They've now gone 9 consecutive quarters without allowing any points. If they can keep that up, we'll be in pretty good shape. I'm also impressed with our new freshmen stars, Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams. Taysom became the first true freshman quarterback at BYU to win his first starting game (and did it in impressive fashion, I might add), while 17-year-old Jamaal Williams ran for an impressive 155 yards after Alisa went down. He may not be old enough to vote for president, but I'd vote for him in almost any third down situation. A re-vamped offensive line also gave the Cougs a breath of fresh air and a little bit of hope that this season may not be a complete waste after all.

My favorite moment of the game by far was Taysom's 68-yard TD run. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw him sprint past all the defenders. Dang, that kid can run! He racked up 143 rushing yards total. For a quarterback--a FRESHMAN quarterback, no less--that's insane!

I'm still worried about Utah State . . . but not quite as worried as I was before. My main concern right now comes down to Riley Nelson's injury and whether his adrenaline and passion will overpower his head and his pain medication and cause him to insist he is ok to play, even if he isn't. With Utah State, Riley's got something to prove. He wants to play in that game BADLY, but I'm not sure if the coaches should let him.

Utah State HATES Riley Nelson with a passion, primarily because he played his freshman year there, but then transferred to BYU while he was on his mission (that would be essentially the equivalent of someone transferring to Utah from BYU-- the ultimate act of betrayal in their eyes). If he goes into the game on Friday night, the Aggie defense is going to do all that's in their power to hit him where it hurts (in the back). They will play dirty. I'd bet their main goal (possibly even above winning the game) would be to send Riley to the hospital and give him a season- and career-ending injury. They consider him a traitor and would probably love to see nothing more. I still can't figure out why the Aggies hate BYU so much (News flash to USU: BYU doesn't consider you a rival. We don't care about you at all.), but of all the Cougars, they probably hate Riley the most.

So, here's my suggestion. Let Taysom start. See if he can get into a rhythm and put some points on the board. Then, if we have at least a slightly comfortable lead at halftime (or if Taysom isn't playing up to par) put Riley in for a few snaps. If he's able to play and does well, keep him in for awhile, maybe the full 3rd quarter. Then, depending on the score, put either Taysom or James Lark in for the 4th quarter. However, if the game is really close at the half or if we're behind and Taysom is playing well, I think we need to leave Taysom in. It's just not worth the risk. Sorry, Riley. I think you're amazing, but trust me-- I know how tempting it is to test a back injury and think you can do more than you really can-- but you don't want to regret it later. It's not worth it.

The USU game could go either way. A few weeks ago, I really believed BYU would get crushed, but now I'm seeing a possible light at the end of the tunnel. I think the game being in Provo will be a huge help, and the Hawaii game was great practice for the O-line, defense, and Taysom. I think they've got the adrenaline and the motivation to put up a really good fight. I predict a close game (decided by a touchdown or less)-- we'll just have to wait and see who comes out on top.

The striped stadium actually didn't look too bad! Nice job, Cougar fans!